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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — in football
  4. fall — the season
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. present — a gift
  8. dip — to sink
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — to wash
  20. present — the time now
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — rain
  24. coach — a trainer

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