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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. season — in sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — a break
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. court — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bat — for baseball

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