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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — the season
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — the time now
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. present — there
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — a gift
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fork — in a road

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