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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cell — a phone
  9. club — for golf
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. club — a group
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. file — a document
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — a trainer

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