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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spring — the season
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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