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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 124 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — the season
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — in sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fall — to drop
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. root — of a word
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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