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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rest — what's left
  7. file — a line of people
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — final
  10. file — a document
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — rain
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — to come from
  16. shower — to wash
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. content — happy
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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