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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cue — for pool
  12. scale — in music
  13. march — music
  14. file — a tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. dip — to sink
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — the season
  24. dip — to dunk

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