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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · pitcher · foot · wind · suit · straw · row · rash

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. foot — a measure
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — the season
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a line
  22. suit — clothes
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — on the skin

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