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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — of the year
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stem — to come from
  18. kick — in football
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. suit — in cards
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bat — for baseball

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