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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — the fruit
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — in music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rash — a series
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — the most important part
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. court — for sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fall — the season
  24. lean — to rest against

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