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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — a break
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — an aim
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. roll — a cake
  9. current — happening now
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — to handle
  14. object — to protest
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — of water
  17. object — a thing
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. roll — a list
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. current — electric
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rash — a series

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