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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — the season
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. track — a path
  12. game — a match
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — a song
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bore — to tire
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bore — to drill

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