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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — high quality
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — child
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ground — a position
  22. cap — a hat
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — of ice

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