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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — a box
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — a break
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — there
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chest — of your body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chair — to sit 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