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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fall — the season
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — for sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. field — a subject
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — farmland
  24. sharp — clever

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