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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chest — a box
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rest — what's left
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bass — low music
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rest — a break
  21. chest — of your body
  22. craft — boats
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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