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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pit — in a race
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — in biology
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fall — the season
  18. tear — to rip
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. craft — boats
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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