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

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — of the year
  8. rest — a break
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a match
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. game — wild animals

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