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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. land — a country
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — rain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — a container

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