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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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. chest — of your body
  4. fine — all right
  5. spell — letters
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — a short time
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fall — the season
  13. band — a ring
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chest — a box
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rock — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a great time

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