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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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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: pop · mug · kick · straw · stand · hide · vault · fall

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. kick — in football
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fall — the season
  16. pop — soda
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mug — a face
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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