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

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — a subject
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — farmland
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a great time
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rush — hurry
  22. field — for sport
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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