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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a music group
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. drill — army training
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — completely
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — for catching
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rush — a thrill

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