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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. squash — to crush

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