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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — ground
  3. hand — help
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fall — to drop
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. land — a country
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. sharp — clever

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