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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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 — to drop
  2. season — of the year
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — low music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fall — the season
  22. snap — to click
  23. bulb — for light
  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