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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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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: pitcher · court · fall · pop · row · deal · last · lie

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. last — finally
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. row — to paddle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — for sport
  10. pop — music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. court — of a king
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — a line
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — the season
  20. last — final
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a quarrel

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