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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — the season
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chest — a box
  16. rest — a break
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fall — to drop

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