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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. fall — the season
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fine — all right
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fall — to drop

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