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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. ball — a round shape
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. fall — to drop
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ball — a dance
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bat — the animal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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