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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — a face
  7. fall — the season
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. mug — a cup
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. band — a ring
  22. bound — tied together
  23. plane — a tool
  24. net — in sport

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