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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. land — to come down
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tube — the underground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rest — a break
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — a container
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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