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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rash — a series
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kick — in football
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lean — thin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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