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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: cabinet · swing · fall · land · pound · fork · cap · march

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. march — music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. land — ground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. land — a country
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pound — a weight
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. swing — music

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