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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 124 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rest — a break
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fall — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  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