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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ball — a great time
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — the animal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. current — happening now
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. current — electric
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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