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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fall — the season
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lean — thin
  15. mug — a face
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tube — a container
  23. rest — a break
  24. lean — to rest against

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