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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — the season
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — a grade
  23. tear — to rip
  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