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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stand — to bear
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. roll — a cake
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. key — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — the season
  13. cell — in biology
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. dip — to sink
  17. shower — rain
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. key — for a lock
  20. roll — a list
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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