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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — the season
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. shower — rain
  8. field — a subject
  9. fine — high quality
  10. field — farmland
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a dance
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fine — all right
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. shower — to wash

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