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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pop — soda
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — a path
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pop — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — of the year
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — a song
  20. snap — to click
  21. drill — a practice
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. track — to keep track

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