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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — a break
  12. spell — magic
  13. fall — the season
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. game — a match
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fine — all right
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — letters
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — a short time

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