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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — for sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. court — of a king
  8. pop — to visit
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pop — music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — to tease
  18. plane — a tool
  19. court — of law
  20. kid — child
  21. fall — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fall — to drop

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