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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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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fall — the season
  3. pit — a hole
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fall — to drop
  20. key — in music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. foot — part of the body

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