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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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 — the season
  2. toast — bread
  3. pop — soda
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — there
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. present — the time now
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — for light
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pop — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  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