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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fall — to drop
  5. firm — a company
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — a break
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rest — what's left
  13. firm — steady
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fall — the season
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — rain

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