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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — thin
  9. rest — a break
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a car

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