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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spring — the season
  5. suit — in cards
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — to fit
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — of water
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rock — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. suit — clothes
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — the bottom

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