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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — a video
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. clip — to cut
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — for sport

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