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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. object — a thing
  9. present — there
  10. rest — a break
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — a series
  13. capital — a city
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — money
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. present — a gift
  21. rash — hasty
  22. object — an aim
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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