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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — a break
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. hand — help
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — a container
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — in cards
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ground — the earth
  22. perch — the fish
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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