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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. season — of the year
  3. chip — for betting
  4. track — a path
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. season — in sport
  7. chip — to eat
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — to tease
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — a song
  21. kid — child
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — a practice
  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