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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a city
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fall — the season
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. plane — a tool
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — a sauce

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