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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. season — of the year
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mug — a face
  12. bank — of a river
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fall — the season
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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