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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. net — for catching
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. track — a song
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to click
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. rest — a break

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