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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. suit — in cards
  6. band — a ring
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ground — crushed
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a music group
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fall — the season
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — a position
  24. wind — moving air

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