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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a hat
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cap — a lid
  8. file — a line of people
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. file — a tool
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — of ice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a document
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — an aim
  24. rest — what's left

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