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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tear — from crying
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — in biology
  21. scale — in music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — to rip
  24. row — a line

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