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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — to tease
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — the season
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — in a race
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kid — child
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lean — to bend

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