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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. field — for sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — a break
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. tear — from crying

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