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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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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: rock · season · rest · row · deal · bound · firm · hand

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bound — tied together
  4. firm — a company
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — certain
  8. rock — music
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — in cards
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — in sport
  14. deal — to handle
  15. firm — decided
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. firm — steady
  20. bound — obliged
  21. row — a line
  22. rest — a break
  23. rock — a stone
  24. season — to add flavour

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