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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fall — the season
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. toast — bread
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. stock — shares
  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