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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. field — farmland
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bass — low music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — for dancing
  16. shower — rain
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — the tool

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