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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — certain
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — soda
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fall — the season
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. plane — a tool
  24. swing — music

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