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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — thin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rock — music
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — of ice

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