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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. object — to protest
  3. rest — a break
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bound — certain
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. lean — thin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lean — to bend
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — a city
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — the fish
  21. capital — money
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bass — the instrument

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