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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. race — humankind
  3. shower — to wash
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fall — the season
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — certain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bound — obliged
  22. race — a contest
  23. bound — tied together
  24. snap — to click

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