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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. last — final
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. last — finally
  11. bass — low music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — a series
  14. rest — a break
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chest — a box
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — the instrument

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