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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rest — a break
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. nail — for a hammer

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