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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pop — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rest — a break
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — a short time
  10. object — a thing
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. object — an aim
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pop — soda
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spell — letters

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