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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — in cards
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — to tease
  18. drill — army training
  19. hand — help
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — the fish
  24. capital — money

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