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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lean — to bend
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fall — the season
  8. toast — bread
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — a country
  11. foot — a measure
  12. land — ground
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — to drop
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pop — soda
  20. spell — letters
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pop — music
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — a short time

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