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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · roll · stand · fall · bass · object · wind · sharp

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fall — the season
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. object — to protest
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fall — to drop
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — a cake
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. object — a thing
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — to go on
  21. bass — low music
  22. object — an aim
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. roll — on a roll

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