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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · bark · ground · fan · wake · cabinet · fall · pitch

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fall — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. present — there
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. ground — a position

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