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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ground — a position
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chest — of your body
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — hasty
  16. can — a tin
  17. rash — a series
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — a box
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — a break
  23. can — a tin
  24. rest — what's left

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