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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — for a lock
  8. season — of the year
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spring — a coil
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — of water
  17. last — finally
  18. key — in music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — the season
  21. last — final
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stand — to bear

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