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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — an amount
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — the season
  14. clip — a video
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. current — happening now
  17. stock — goods
  18. current — of water
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. clip — for paper
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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