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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · lean · rash · spell · clip · ball · suit · fan

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rash — a series
  3. clip — for paper
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — a video
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — to cut

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