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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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