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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a great time
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bass — low music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bass — the fish
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. row — a line
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. land — ground
  19. tube — a container
  20. fall — to drop
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — the season
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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