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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. field — farmland
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — to protest
  8. charge — in control
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. charge — a price
  12. field — a subject
  13. object — a thing
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bat — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. object — an aim
  24. field — for sport

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