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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — a container
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. face — to confront
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fall — the season
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fall — to drop

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