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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bulb — for light

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