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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. last — finally
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fall — the season
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — final
  22. present — a gift
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. last — to go on

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