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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to point toward
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — the season
  6. ground — crushed
  7. squash — the sport
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — the earth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ground — a position
  14. cap — of ice
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — to drop
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — wild animals

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