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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fall — the season
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. tube — a container
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — to push
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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