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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mug — a cup
  4. drill — army training
  5. mug — to rob
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. fall — the season
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — a stone
  23. net — after costs
  24. mug — a face

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