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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. band — a music group
  3. chest — a box
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — from a university
  9. band — a ring
  10. file — a line of people
  11. object — to protest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. file — a tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. object — a thing
  22. rest — a break
  23. board — a committee
  24. degree — temperature

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