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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. foot — a measure
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. current — electric
  13. ground — a position
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. current — happening now
  19. ground — crushed
  20. current — of water
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — the earth
  24. staff — employees

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