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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: fall · roll · bear · mouse · foot · scale · ruler · pit

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. foot — a measure
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. roll — a list
  24. foot — part of the body

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