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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ground — a position
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spell — magic
  10. rest — a break
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. spell — letters
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rest — what's left

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