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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. can — a tin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. dip — to sink
  5. can — to be able to
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. race — a contest
  8. fall — to drop
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. hand — help
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rash — a series
  16. can — a tin
  17. fall — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — hasty
  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