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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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. plane — in geometry
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. dip — to sink

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