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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rest — a break
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to click

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