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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spell — magic
  4. fall — the season
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spell — letters
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. row — a line
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tube — a container
  18. mate — a partner
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rush — hurry
  24. tube — in a tire

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