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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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Word bank
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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: pop · fall · straw · cap · firm · rest · chest · sharp

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chest — of your body
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. firm — decided
  5. cap — a lid
  6. firm — steady
  7. chest — a box
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — of ice
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a hat
  18. firm — a company
  19. pop — music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fall — to drop

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