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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rash — a series
  6. pop — music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fall — to drop
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. fall — the season
  24. rash — hasty

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