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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — after costs
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chip — to eat
  5. last — finally
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — final
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. foot — a measure
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitcher — a jug

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