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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · leaves · fall · hide · wave · hand · rule · bass

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rule — a law
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rule — government
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. hand — help
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. rule — to rule out

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