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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — to bear
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — the season
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. press — to push
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mug — to rob
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — to sit on
  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