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

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a line of people
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a document
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ball — a great time
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — help
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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