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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — electricity
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. charge — a price
  13. tear — from crying
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. drill — army training
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — the season
  20. chip — to eat
  21. charge — in control
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — to rip

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