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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. present — there
  3. game — a match
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — in sport
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — the animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — to sink
  13. present — the time now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bass — low music
  21. present — a gift
  22. net — after costs
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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