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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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468
Word bank
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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — magic
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fork — in a road
  13. band — a ring
  14. track — to keep track
  15. band — a music group
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. track — a song
  24. racket — for tennis

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