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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pop — music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fall — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bound — certain
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. foot — a measure

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