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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. bat — for baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. deal — to handle
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bank — for money
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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