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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: mate · fall · land · cabinet · club · squash · sharp · rush

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — a group
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — ground
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. club — for dancing
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. club — for golf

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