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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — soda
  5. rash — a series
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rest — a break
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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