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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. snap — to click
  20. roll — a list
  21. pop — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — in a road
  24. roll — on a roll

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