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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. toast — bread
  3. shower — rain
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. face — to confront
  8. fall — to drop
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — to handle
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. face — part of the head
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fall — the season
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. leaves — lets stay

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