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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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. present — the time now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cell — a phone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cell — in biology
  11. dip — to sink
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — a face
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. present — there
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. present — a gift
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cell — in a prison

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