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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. race — humankind
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rush — hurry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — a match
  20. lean — to bend
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. cap — a hat
  24. race — a contest

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