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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rest — a break
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — a partner
  19. craft — a skill
  20. hand — help
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chest — a box
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — to breed

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