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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — not warm
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. current — electric
  5. pass — a permit
  6. current — of water
  7. cold — an illness
  8. current — happening now
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. squash — to crush
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fall — the season
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. season — of the year
  20. club — for golf
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. straw — dry grass

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