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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — the amount
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rest — a break

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