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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. current — of water
  4. fall — the season
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hand — help
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. current — electric
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — to tire

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