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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 120 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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. field — for sport
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cell — a phone
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — to play on
  12. field — farmland
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. club — for golf
  17. shower — to wash
  18. club — for dancing
  19. swing — music
  20. field — a subject
  21. swing — in golf
  22. club — a group
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fall — the season

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