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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — help
  13. press — to push
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — newspapers
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fall — the season
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — to pay attention

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