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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. suit — to fit
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — a break
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. suit — in cards
  24. hand — in cards

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