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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. sharp — clever
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rest — a break
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — soda
  21. file — a document
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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