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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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rash — a series
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. drill — the tool
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — army training
  10. file — a document
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — child
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cell — in biology
  22. file — a tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cell — in a prison

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