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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. present — a gift
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pit — in a race
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — a hat
  19. present — there
  20. kick — in football
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pit — a hole
  23. row — a line
  24. land — a country

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