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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — to wash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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