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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — the season
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kick — in football
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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