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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. present — a gift
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fall — the season
  22. rock — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — there

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