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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. land — a country
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — a series
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — ground
  18. rock — music
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. deal — an agreement

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