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

Word bank: rest · bay · snap · bowl · fall · file · season · mug

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a face
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — of the year
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mug — a cup
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — the season
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rest — a break

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