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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — a friend
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — the season
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — after costs
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. present — a gift
  24. mate — a partner

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