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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. root — the cause
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bass — low music
  9. last — final
  10. mate — to breed
  11. last — finally
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. root — of a word
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mate — a partner
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mate — a friend
  23. last — to go on
  24. cold — an illness

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