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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. degree — temperature
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. board — to get on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. clip — for paper
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rest — a break
  21. board — a committee
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spell — magic
  24. temple — a place of worship

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