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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bass — the fish
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — a trace
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. can — a tin
  16. file — a document
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fall — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bass — low music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spring — the season

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