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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · court · pass · fall · rock · foot · wind · club

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. court — of a king
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — rain
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. club — for golf
  16. court — of law
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. court — for sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — a group
  24. fall — to drop

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