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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rest — a break
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. key — in music
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. net — in sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — a series
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — the most important part
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rest — what's left

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