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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — help
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chest — a box
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rest — a break
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. kick — in football
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mate — a friend

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