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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fall — the season
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. field — farmland
  24. lie — to recline

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