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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — tied together
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — certain
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. season — in sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. bound — obliged
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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