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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bound — certain
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. squash — the sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — tied together
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. squash — to crush

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