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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. object — an aim
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rest — a break
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — a position
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. object — to protest
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rest — what's left

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