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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — final
  3. bass — low music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. band — a ring
  8. drill — a practice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fall — the season
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. last — to go on
  17. band — a music group
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — finally
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fall — to drop

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