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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — to visit
  6. row — a line
  7. shower — rain
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pop — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — soda
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. arm — a part of something

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