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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bass — the fish
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spring — the season
  7. bass — low music
  8. fall — the season
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a great time
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kid — child
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a path
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. date — on the calendar

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