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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 124 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: court · rest · rash · fork · arm · tear · chest · season

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — of the year
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tear — to rip
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — of law
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — of a king
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. rest — a break
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — hasty
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — in sport

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