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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: stand · ball · lie · straw · sharp · chest · leaves · nail

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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