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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — a list
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cap — a hat
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bound — tied together

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