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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fall — the season
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. track — a song
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cue — a signal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cue — for pool

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