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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: last · bat · staff · rest · stick · fall · pound · wound

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fall — the season
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — to go on
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. rest — a break
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — a stick
  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