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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — happy
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. race — humankind
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. content — the amount
  16. rest — a break
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pass — a permit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. race — a contest

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