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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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Word bank
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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — what's left
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kick — in football
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rash — a series
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — a tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cold — not warm

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