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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — to crush
  12. band — a music group
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fall — to drop
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a ring
  20. rash — hasty
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rash — a series

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