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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — a container
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tube — the underground
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. snap — to click
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — to recline
  21. ball — a dance
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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