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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — music
  6. game — a match
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — a trail
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. press — to push
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fall — the season

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