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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ground — a position
  4. band — a music group
  5. rest — what's left
  6. staff — a stick
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rule — a law
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. staff — employees
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — employees
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rule — government
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rule — to rule out

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