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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. band — a music group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — a partner
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. present — there
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — the season
  11. charge — a price
  12. present — the time now
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fall — the season
  19. present — a gift
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — electricity
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. charge — in control

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