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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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Word bank
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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 · last · deal · pit · hide · wake · season · ground

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — to go on
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. pit — in a race
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. season — of the year
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — finally
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hide — animal skin

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