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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. key — in music
  8. lean — to bend
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fall — the season
  20. court — of law
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. staff — a stick

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