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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — a series
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — all right
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. snap — to click
  10. mate — to breed
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pass — a permit
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rest — a break
  20. mate — a partner
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — to spend time

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