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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spell — a short time
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — letters

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