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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. row — a line
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fall — to drop
  7. suit — to fit
  8. ground — a position
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to click
  11. fall — the season
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. drill — army training
  14. suit — in cards
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — to paddle
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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