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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to confront
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — to handle
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — the month
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. scale — size or range
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. march — music
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mouse — 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