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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. last — to go on
  4. date — the fruit
  5. roll — a cake
  6. fall — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. roll — a list
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. last — finally
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. last — final
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  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