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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. fine — all right
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — the time now
  6. current — happening now
  7. present — there
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hand — help
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. current — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — electric
  23. present — a gift
  24. hand — in cards

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