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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. file — a document
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cap — of ice
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — size or range
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — a lid
  20. scale — in music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rest — what's left
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. scale — for weighing

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