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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. fine — high quality
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fine — all right
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. object — an aim
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. object — a thing
  17. cold — an illness
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cold — not warm
  24. object — to protest

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