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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mine — for digging
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bass — the fish
  24. foot — a measure

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