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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fall — the season
  9. lean — thin
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pass — a permit

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