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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rest — a break
  5. fall — the season
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. object — a thing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rest — what's left
  16. object — to protest
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. object — an aim

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