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

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. object — a thing
  4. fall — the season
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rock — music
  7. capital — a city
  8. object — an aim
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — to protest
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. capital — money
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop

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