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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fall — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — to push
  9. can — to be able to
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. press — newspapers
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitch — a sports field

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