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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fall — the season
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — rain
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — a division
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fine — all right
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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