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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fall — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spring — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cue — for pool
  19. march — the month
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lean — to bend
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cue — a signal

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