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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 120 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — of law
  7. firm — decided
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. firm — steady
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. firm — a company
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of a king
  24. band — a rubber band

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