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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — to come down
  4. mate — a partner
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kick — in football
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — to breed
  24. land — ground

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