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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — the season
  11. land — a country
  12. rash — a series
  13. shower — rain
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. land — ground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. land — to come down
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hand — help
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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