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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. kid — child
  4. bank — for money
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — help
  14. bank — for money
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — for sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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