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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. roll — a list
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. roll — a cake
  21. spell — letters
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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