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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — to drop
  10. march — the month
  11. current — electric
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. current — of water
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — happening now
  20. fall — the season
  21. march — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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