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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spell — letters
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. charge — a price
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rest — a break
  16. last — final
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. present — the time now
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spell — magic
  23. charge — in control
  24. field — farmland

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