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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. hand — help
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — army training
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rest — a break
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — in cards

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