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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lean — to bend
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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