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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rest — a break
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — music
  9. fall — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — on the skin

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