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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a ring
  12. kick — in football
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — a contest
  17. rest — a break
  18. shower — rain
  19. race — humankind
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. race — the arms race

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