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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — in football
  4. object — an aim
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — of a king
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spell — magic
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — for sport
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — to paddle
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a line

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