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

Word bank: mate · straw · wind · rash · lean · fall · vault · cue

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lean — thin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cue — a signal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rash — a series
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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