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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. shower — rain
  7. land — to come down
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to click
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fall — to drop
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fall — the season
  20. land — ground
  21. game — a match
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — a country
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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