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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fall — to drop
  4. clip — a video
  5. fork — in a road
  6. saw — the tool
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. clip — for paper
  14. court — of law
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. court — of a king
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. court — for sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

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