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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rash — hasty
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rash — a series
  7. object — an aim
  8. net — in sport
  9. fall — the season
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. object — a thing
  12. cue — for pool
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cue — a signal
  17. object — to protest
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — after costs
  23. cue — a hint
  24. net — for catching

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