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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — a video
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rest — a break
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wound — an injury
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chest — of your body

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