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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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Word bank
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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: fall · roll · cabinet · bat · jam · chair · suit · fork

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. fall — the season
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bat — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — in a road
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fork — a garden tool

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