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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. net — for catching
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — a match
  19. net — in sport
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bore — to drill

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