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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fall — the season
  9. fine — all right
  10. rest — a break
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mate — a partner
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fine — high quality
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mate — a friend
  24. file — a tool

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