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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. present — a gift
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. present — the time now
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fall — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. present — there

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