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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — hurry
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fall — the season
  8. squash — the sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. band — a music group
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rest — a break
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  24. bulb — for light

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