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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — wild animals
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spring — the season
  5. bound — certain
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a match
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spring — of water
  16. race — a contest
  17. staff — employees
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. race — humankind
  21. kick — in football
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. race — the arms race

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