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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — hasty
  4. drill — army training
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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