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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fall — the season
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. row — to paddle
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. club — for golf
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — to go on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. club — a group
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. club — for dancing
  16. last — final
  17. hand — help
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — part of the body

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