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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — of ice
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pop — music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pop — to visit

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