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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — a cake
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. roll — a list
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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