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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — magic
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pit — in a race
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spell — letters
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a song
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a path

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