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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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