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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — crushed
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a tool
  11. ground — a position
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — a stick
  24. game — a match

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