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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rule — a law
  3. track — a path
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — certain
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — in sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rule — government
  12. fall — the season
  13. track — a song
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — a supporter

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