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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. present — the time now
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. present — a gift
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — there
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rest — a break
  22. fall — the season
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — a place of worship

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