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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fine — all right
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spell — magic
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — the amount
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. content — happy
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fine — a penalty

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