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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — of a king
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. swing — music
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. drill — a practice
  7. court — for sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rock — a stone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. swing — in golf
  18. court — of law
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pass — to spend time

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