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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the sport
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. march — the month
  7. court — for sport
  8. suit — in cards
  9. craft — boats
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — of a king
  12. suit — to fit
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — the season
  15. suit — clothes
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — of law
  18. cue — a hint
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. march — music
  22. cue — for pool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — a practice

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