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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — a container
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — of a king
  6. pop — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pop — to visit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fall — the season
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. court — for sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pop — soda
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tube — in a tire

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