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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. staff — employees
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cell — in biology
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ground — a position
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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