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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bore — to tire
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cue — a hint
  7. lean — thin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pop — soda
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pop — music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pass — to spend time

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