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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rest — a break
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — hurry
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cue — for pool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — moving air

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