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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. net — after costs
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — for catching
  7. kick — in football
  8. mug — a face
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. suit — to fit
  18. fall — the season
  19. suit — clothes
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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