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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. court — of a king
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to click
  11. rest — a break
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. court — of law
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. court — for sport
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wind — moving air

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