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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — to crush
  3. club — a group
  4. file — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — a trail
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — to rob
  13. court — for sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. mug — a face
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a document
  19. court — of law
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. court — of a king
  24. squash — the sport

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