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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fall — the season
  5. tube — the underground
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. suit — to fit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tube — a container
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — a series
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. suit — clothes
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — a straw man

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