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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 · toast · jam · roll · fall · march · cap · lie

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cap — a lid
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. march — music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — the season
  13. ball — a dance
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a cake
  16. ball — a great time
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. toast — bread
  21. roll — a list
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lie — to recline

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