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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. chip — for betting
  5. court — for sport
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. net — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — for catching
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — the season
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — to eat
  21. court — of law
  22. track — a path
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. drill — army training

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