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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to click
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cue — for pool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — all right
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fall — the season
  15. spell — letters
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. row — a line
  20. spell — magic
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cue — a hint
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hide — to keep secret

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