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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. track — a path
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. suit — to fit
  9. court — of a king
  10. rule — government
  11. court — of law
  12. fall — the season
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. track — to keep track
  15. net — for catching
  16. track — a song
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — to rip
  20. net — after costs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rule — a law
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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