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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. squash — the sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — soda
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. rest — a break
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. march — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. can — a tin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — a position
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — music
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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