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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pop — soda
  4. mark — a trace
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pop — to visit
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mark — to pay attention

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