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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rest — a break
  11. mate — a partner
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mate — a friend
  20. scale — in music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rash — a series
  23. rest — what's left
  24. dip — a sauce

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