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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: arm · stick · foot · fall · mine · court · bat · wake

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — a trail
  5. court — for sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fall — the season
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. arm — a part of something

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