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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. current — of water
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stock — goods
  7. key — in music
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. current — happening now
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. current — electric
  17. fall — to drop
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stock — shares
  21. kick — in football
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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