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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — for catching
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. net — in sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. key — in music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. key — the most important part
  14. swing — music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. snap — to click
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — a subject
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. key — for a lock
  24. tear — to rip

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