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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spell — magic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rest — a break
  14. spell — letters
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fall — the season
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spell — a short time
  24. leaves — lets stay

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