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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fall — the season
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pop — soda
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bass — low music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hand — help

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