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

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — music
  4. hand — help
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — a cake
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — a stone
  18. leaves — to go away

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