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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — soda
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pop — to visit
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — a container
  20. wake — a trail
  21. club — a group
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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