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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — a position
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rule — a law
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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