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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — ground
  5. rush — hurry
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — to fit
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. suit — clothes
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. drill — army training
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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