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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mate — to breed
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — a division
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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