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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 120 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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. deal — to handle
  3. last — final
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a match
  8. last — finally
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — a division
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. season — in sport

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