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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. scale — in music
  4. row — a line
  5. land — a country
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — to come down
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — ground
  13. face — part of the head
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. net — in sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wave — with your hand

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