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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. shower — rain
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. roll — a list
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. game — wild animals
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — to sink
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fall — the season
  24. leaves — to go away

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