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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — boats
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fall — the season
  13. pit — a hole
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — thin
  17. foot — a measure
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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