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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitch — completely
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — certain
  14. track — to keep track
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. track — a path
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — a song
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — the season

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