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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rest — a break
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a song
  5. rest — what's left
  6. object — to protest
  7. root — the cause
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — of a plant
  10. object — an aim
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. track — to keep track
  14. court — for sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a word
  17. object — a thing
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — hurry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. track — a path

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