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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. key — for a lock
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — in music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. scale — for weighing

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