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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hand — help
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mark — a grade
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pop — soda
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. swing — music
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pop — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — in golf

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