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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. object — to protest
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. object — a thing
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. shower — rain
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — final
  12. object — an aim
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. last — finally
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — hasty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. last — to go on
  23. rash — a series
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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