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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ball — a great time
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — rain
  9. ball — a dance
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hand — in cards
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mark — a trace
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hand — help
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. staff — employees

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