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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to bend
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. court — of a king
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — steady
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. court — of law
  17. net — in sport
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. fall — the season
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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