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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ground — the earth
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. staff — employees
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — help
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. staff — a stick
  22. shower — rain
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fork — in a road

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