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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rest — what's left
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. track — a song
  12. board — to get on
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — a committee
  17. track — a path
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. sharp — with an edge

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