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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: ball · row · fall · toast · pitch · arm · wind · firm

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fall — the season
  4. row — to paddle
  5. firm — steady
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — a line
  8. toast — bread
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. firm — decided
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a great time
  16. firm — a company
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pitch — a sports field

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