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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 120 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 · pit · cabinet · bowl · stick · fan · sharp · scale

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. scale — in music
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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