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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fall — the season
  3. present — there
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. firm — steady
  11. present — the time now
  12. toast — bread
  13. firm — a company
  14. bound — obliged
  15. present — a gift
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. saw — the tool
  22. firm — decided
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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