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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. swing — to play on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stock — shares
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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