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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 · wound · kid · firm · hand · rock · ball · pass

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. firm — steady
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — a break
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. firm — a company
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pass — a permit
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — a stone
  20. firm — decided
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — help
  24. ball — a round shape

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