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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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 — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — wild animals
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. game — a match
  14. rest — a break
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rock — a stone
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rock — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — final
  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