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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. track — a path
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — a break
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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