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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. season — in sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fall — to drop
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. season — of the year
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fall — the season
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. foot — a measure
  24. season — to add flavour

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