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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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468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. file — a document
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — completely
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rest — what's left
  18. key — in music
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rest — a break
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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