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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bass — the fish
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bass — low music
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. board — a committee

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