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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — in sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — a break
  12. band — a music group
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rash — a series
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. band — a ring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cell — in a prison

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