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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. race — humankind
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chest — a box
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rash — a series
  14. craft — a skill
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — a contest
  20. craft — boats
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bass — low music
  24. craft — a handicraft

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