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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. band — a music group
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. can — to be able to
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. band — a ring
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. rash — a series
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. band — a rubber band

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