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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 120 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: capital · saw · mate · sharp · rush · rash · rest · tear

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — to rip
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — a city
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rush — hurry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — a series
  14. mate — a friend
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. capital — money
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rest — a break
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mate — a partner

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