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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — government
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. craft — boats

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