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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — music
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. march — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — soda
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pit — a hole
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. bat — in an idiom

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