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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — magic
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fork — in a road
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fall — to drop
  11. file — a document
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spell — letters
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spell — a short time
  23. race — the arms race
  24. staff — a stick

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