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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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 — the season
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for golf
  9. capital — a city
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — to go on
  14. club — for dancing
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — a group
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — money
  22. last — finally
  23. face — part of the head
  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