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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cold — an illness
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. leaves — to go away

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