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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fall — the season
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. face — part of the head
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. face — to point toward
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — completely
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. shower — rain
  24. face — to confront

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