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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — a box
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. club — a group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. court — of law
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — for sport
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rush — hurry
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — a series

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