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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — a series
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. object — a thing
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. rash — hasty
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stand — to bear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — a break
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. object — an aim

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