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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. present — there
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. file — a document
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. current — of water
  8. rest — a break
  9. present — a gift
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a tool
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — help
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — happening now
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. present — the time now
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pit — a hole
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — to hurry

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