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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. suit — clothes
  5. hand — help
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bulb — for light
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — a country
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — a thrill

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