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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. march — the month
  10. bank — of a river
  11. file — a document
  12. bank — for money
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bank — for money
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lie — to recline
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. can — to be able to
  24. roll — a list

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