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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — the season
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ball — a dance
  11. land — a country
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rest — a break
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — a measure

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