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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fall — to drop
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pit — in a race
  8. file — a tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a document

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