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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. fall — the season
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a document
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rest — a break
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. file — a tool
  14. vault — a safe
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fall — to drop
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. scale — for weighing

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