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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: ball · prune · rock · press · bat · fall · rest · key

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a dance
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fall — the season
  13. key — in music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rest — a break
  16. key — for a lock
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — a publisher

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