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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mate — a friend
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — in music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — ground
  16. band — a ring
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — a box
  22. band — a music group
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. cue — a hint

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