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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. snap — to click
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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