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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — a break
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bulb — for light

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