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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — clever
  5. present — a gift
  6. spell — magic
  7. cue — a hint
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. shower — to wash
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — a tin
  16. spell — letters
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — rain
  20. chip — for betting
  21. present — there
  22. can — a tin
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chip — in a computer

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