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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at 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. charge — electricity
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. season — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rule — a law
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. branch — a division
  20. rule — government
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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