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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. fall — the season
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pit — in a race
  24. row — to paddle

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