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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for golf
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — help
  24. bear — the animal

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