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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — size or range
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mate — a partner
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mate — a friend
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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