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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · straw · sharp · lie · arm · fall · trunk · kick

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. kick — in football
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. sharp — clever
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fall — the season

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