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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — the season
  5. deal — to handle
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a music group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. band — a ring
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — after costs
  20. key — for a lock
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. net — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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