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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 116 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: track · snap · cell · fall · mate · rule · ball · craft

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rule — a law
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mate — a partner
  10. track — a path
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fall — the season
  15. craft — boats
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rule — government
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. track — a song
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mate — a friend

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