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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pop — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fall — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — soda
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — electric
  21. bear — the animal
  22. charge — in control
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ball — a dance

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