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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — a match
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rest — a break
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — the fruit
  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