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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. last — to go on
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — finally
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a path
  10. lean — to bend
  11. track — a song
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. last — final
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. foot — a measure
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fall — the season
  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