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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fork — in a road
  3. spring — a coil
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — a series
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — of water
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — a practice
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rash — hasty
  22. drill — army training
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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