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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — what's left
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wind — moving air

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