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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — all right
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — a company
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — steady
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ball — a great time
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ball — a dance
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fine — high quality
  17. firm — decided
  18. temple — side of the head

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