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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. roll — a list
  3. pop — music
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — to visit
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pop — soda
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chip — for betting
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. suit — clothes
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. calf — of the leg

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