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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — a face
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a document
  5. chest — a box
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — happening now
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. race — humankind
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — the season
  22. mug — to rob
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com