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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fall — to drop
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. file — a line of people
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — low music
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — the season
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — a country
  14. file — a tool
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a document
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bass — the fish
  21. toast — bread
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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