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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mark — a trace
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rest — a break
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. root — of a word
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. root — the cause
  22. staff — a stick
  23. game — a match
  24. root — of a plant

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