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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rule — government
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — magic
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rule — a law
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spell — letters
  15. march — music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. lean — thin
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — a short time

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