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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. firm — decided
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — a line
  14. firm — a company
  15. scale — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — to paddle
  18. charge — in control
  19. firm — steady
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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