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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to confront
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rest — a break
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — to paddle
  9. net — in sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — a line
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — after costs
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. saw — the tool
  24. face — part of the head

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