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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chip — to eat
  5. squash — the sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — clever
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fall — the season
  22. swing — to play on
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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