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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — the season
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. roll — a cake
  23. season — of the year
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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