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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hand — in cards
  4. swing — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mug — a cup
  8. last — final
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. fall — the season
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cap — a hat
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — help
  24. swing — in golf

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