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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — the time now
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — there
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a line of people
  12. game — a match
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — a gift
  24. pass — a permit

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