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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. court — for sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. suit — clothes
  8. row — a line
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — of a king
  15. suit — in cards
  16. scale — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fall — to drop
  24. coach — a trainer

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