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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. swing — in golf
  5. net — for catching
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cell — in biology
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. snap — to click
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. craft — boats
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — magic
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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