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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tube — the underground
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — an aim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — temperature
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. tube — a container
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stand — to bear
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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