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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — to wash
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rock — music
  7. season — in sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — help
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. season — of the year
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. rest — a break
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bound — tied together
  21. firm — decided
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hand — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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