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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stand — to bear
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rest — a break
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. band — a ring
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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