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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — for sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fall — the season
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. date — the fruit
  18. court — of law
  19. tube — a container
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of a king

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