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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bat — the animal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — for digging
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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