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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — finally
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. rest — a break
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bear — the animal

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