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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. suit — to fit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pop — music
  20. suit — in cards
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — clothes

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