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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — a partner
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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