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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. game — a match
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bass — low music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lean — to bend
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lean — thin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — a trace
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a grade
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pop — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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