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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pit — a hole
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a document
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stand — to bear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. snap — to click
  24. mate — a partner

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