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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — the season
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rash — a series
  6. face — to confront
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. club — a group
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. snap — to click
  16. fall — to drop
  17. track — a path
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. club — for golf
  21. track — a song
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rash — on the skin

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