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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — finally
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lean — thin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — final
  12. file — a document
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stock — shares
  16. ball — a dance
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — goods
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — a measure
  21. file — a tool
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ball — a round shape

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