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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fall — the season
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. band — a ring
  16. lean — thin
  17. band — a music group
  18. ball — a great time
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pop — soda
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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