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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — low music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. object — a thing
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. object — to protest
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — an aim
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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