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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rest — a break
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — there
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. net — in sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — the amount
  13. fall — the season
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. net — after costs
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rest — what's left
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. content — videos and posts

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