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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a lid
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. charge — a price
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. staff — employees
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. staff — a stick
  17. suit — to fit
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — the season
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tear — from crying

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