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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fall — to drop
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pop — soda
  9. rest — what's left
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — a break
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. can — to be able to
  24. toast — the most admired

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