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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — to recline
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. spring — the season
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. foot — a measure
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — farmland
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. foot — the bottom

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