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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. branch — a division
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — a break
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fall — the season
  24. cold — not warm

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