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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — a grade
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. race — humankind
  8. mark — a trace
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fall — to drop
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — to visit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stand — to bear
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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