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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fall — the season
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — a container
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chair — a professorship

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