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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: chip · wound · cabinet · pitcher · fall · squash · sharp · leaves

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chip — for betting
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fall — to drop
  21. squash — to crush
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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