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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — the underground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — a container
  11. pop — to visit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — soda
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. squash — to crush
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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