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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a song
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — in football
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hand — in cards
  7. track — a path
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rest — a break
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — to keep track
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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