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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — a friend
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. scale — in music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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