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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rest — a break
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. root — of a word
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pop — to visit
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pop — music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fall — the season

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