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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — child
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. last — to go on
  9. rest — a break
  10. lean — to bend
  11. key — in music
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. last — final
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rest — what's left
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — finally
  21. track — a path
  22. lean — thin
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. track — a song

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