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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spell — letters
  4. spring — the season
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fall — the season
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mark — a grade
  10. roll — a cake
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. roll — a list
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — of water
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. spell — magic

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