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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — of law
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — a practice
  12. court — for sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — to grow
  15. clip — a video
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — the season
  23. court — of a king
  24. clip — for paper

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