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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. object — a thing
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — of a king
  21. prune — to trim
  22. object — to protest
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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