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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — music
  15. current — of water
  16. land — ground
  17. current — electric
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — the season
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pop — to visit

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