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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — a contest
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. race — humankind
  17. march — music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. march — the month

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