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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lie — to recline
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — the season
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lean — thin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. vault — a safe
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bass — low music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — to drop

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