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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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mug — a face
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wake — a trail
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. key — in music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rest — a break
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mug — a cup

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