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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: stand · chest · staff · drill · straw · sharp · pound · rest

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rest — a break
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — army training
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — to bear
  10. chest — of your body
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chest — a box
  14. pound — a weight
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chest — of your body

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