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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 120 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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. root — the cause
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. root — of a word
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. pound — a weight
  12. season — in sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — the season
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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