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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. game — a match
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ball — a great time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. ball — a dance
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — to wash
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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