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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mate — to breed
  7. track — to keep track
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. track — a path
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — to visit
  14. track — a song
  15. pop — music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fall — the season
  18. present — a gift
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bowl — a football final

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