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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fall — the season
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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