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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — the season
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. last — final
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. vault — a safe

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