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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. net — for catching
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — army training
  10. fall — the season
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. net — after costs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — of ice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. object — a thing
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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