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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. last — final
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fall — the season
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wake — a trail
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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