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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · kid · ruler · race · face · lean

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. race — humankind
  8. fall — the season
  9. lean — thin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. race — a contest
  14. face — to confront
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fall — to drop

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