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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — in football
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. clip — a video
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. clip — to cut
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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