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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — for catching
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. charge — electricity
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ball — a great time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to click
  19. charge — a price
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — in sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hand — in cards
  24. charge — in control

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