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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. row — to paddle
  7. field — farmland
  8. kid — child
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chip — to eat
  20. row — a line
  21. rash — a series
  22. rest — a break
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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