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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fall — the season
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. charge — a price
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — in control
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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