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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. staff — a stick
  5. shower — rain
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — the season
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. snap — to click
  20. charge — a price
  21. staff — employees
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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