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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chip — for betting
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — a break
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rest — what's left
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. nail — for a hammer

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