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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. face — to confront
  7. tube — a container
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. face — to point toward
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cabinet — ministers

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