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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — the season
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hand — help
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — after costs
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. hand — in cards

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