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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: foot · fall · march · cue · pitcher · land · lie · bulb

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cue — a hint
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — for pool
  14. land — ground
  15. cue — a signal
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fall — the season
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. foot — a measure

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