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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fall — the season
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. present — the time now
  12. file — a document
  13. present — there
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. present — a gift
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a tool

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