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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. last — final
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. object — a thing
  15. court — of a king
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — finally
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of law
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. scale — size or range

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