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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pop — soda
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pop — music

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