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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. last — to go on
  3. suit — clothes
  4. last — final
  5. fall — the season
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — finally
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pit — in a race
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pound — to hit hard

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