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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — the time now
  3. field — a subject
  4. present — there
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. field — for sport
  7. present — a gift
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cue — a hint
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fall — the season
  20. key — in music
  21. cue — for pool
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — farmland
  24. wound — an injury

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