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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — a song
  5. object — a thing
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — to keep track
  8. object — an aim
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. fall — the season
  15. track — a path
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — to come down
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. object — to protest
  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