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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — steady
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. firm — decided
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. firm — a company
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bat — the animal

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