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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — a match
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — a lid
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rest — a break
  18. cap — a hat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fork — in a road

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