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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: wind · object · rush · chair · kick · rest · mate · leaves

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rest — a break
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — to protest
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kick — in football
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rest — what's left
  17. object — a thing
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. object — an aim
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. leaves — of a tree

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