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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fall — the season
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a great time
  18. row — to paddle

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