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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. net — after costs
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — final
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fall — the season
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — dry grass

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