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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rock — a stone
  3. last — to go on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. band — a ring
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. last — finally
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kick — in football
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. band — a music group
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — a box
  23. rock — music
  24. last — final

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