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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — for digging
  3. can — a tin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ball — a dance
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pop — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. season — in sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pop — soda

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