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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. present — a gift
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — thin
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rest — a break
  20. net — after costs
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bowl — to roll

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