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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pop — soda
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pop — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — to crush
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — to shout

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