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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — a weight
  3. court — of a king
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. firm — decided
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — a match
  9. rest — what's left
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — a company
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — a subject
  15. rest — a break
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. game — wild animals

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