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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — a trace
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spring — the season
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — a grade
  15. file — a document
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — of water

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