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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. craft — boats
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chair — a leader
  20. spring — of water
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — all right
  24. rash — a series

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