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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fall — to drop
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — in music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. dip — to sink
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fall — the season
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. track — a song
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — a path
  24. nail — for a hammer

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