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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 116 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. march — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fall — the season
  24. nail — for a hammer

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