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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ground — a position
  3. lean — to bend
  4. firm — a company
  5. clip — a video
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. clip — to cut
  9. firm — decided
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — for paper
  16. shower — rain
  17. cell — in biology
  18. firm — steady
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lean — thin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fall — the season
  24. cabinet — ministers

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