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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. object — a thing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rash — a series
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. object — an aim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a line
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. row — to paddle

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