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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. game — wild animals
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. clip — a video
  20. game — a match
  21. rash — a series
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rash — hasty
  24. game — a kind of play

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