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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — for digging
  3. key — in music
  4. press — to push
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rest — a break
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. racket — for tennis

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