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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mark — a grade
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — a hat
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rest — a break
  15. cap — a lid
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — to cut
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — a video
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — rain
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mark — to pay attention

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