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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · deal · pop · stick · fall · cell · cabinet · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pop — soda
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fall — the season
  18. pop — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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