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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fall — the season
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cue — a hint
  7. club — a group
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. club — for golf
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — of water
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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