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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. content — the amount
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. club — a group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fall — the season
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — happy
  17. game — a match
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for golf
  24. game — wild animals

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