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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fall — the season
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chest — a box
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — to drop

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