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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. land — a country
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. land — ground
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. drill — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rest — a break
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — the month
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rush — hurry
  21. snap — to click
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — music
  24. present — the time now

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