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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. drill — army training
  7. chest — of your body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. club — for golf
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fine — all right
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chest — a box
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — a group
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — the season
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. perch — for a bird

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