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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pass — a permit
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — the cause
  13. rest — a break
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. root — of a plant
  18. scale — in music
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. mate — a partner
  22. scale — size or range
  23. root — of a word
  24. wind — to turn a key

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