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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mine — for digging
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — for catching
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — in sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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