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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — a stone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fall — the season
  10. net — after costs
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. net — in sport
  16. rock — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. net — for catching
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. key — in music
  24. rock — to move gently

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