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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. track — a song
  5. bat — the animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. season — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. track — a path
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. season — of the year
  21. rest — what's left
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. scale — size or range
  24. deal — a big deal

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