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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pit — in a race
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. swing — in golf
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. swing — to play on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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