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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — magic
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — a subject
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mark — a trace
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spell — letters
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — of the sea

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