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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a path
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. shower — rain
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. track — a song

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