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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. firm — decided
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. firm — steady
  10. court — of law
  11. suit — to fit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. court — for sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — a company
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — the month

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