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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — a stone
  7. track — a path
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. track — a song
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mine — belonging to me

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