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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — letters
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. club — a group
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — magic
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. club — for golf
  11. lean — thin
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. court — for sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. court — of a king
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fall — the season
  22. court — of law
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. fall — to drop

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