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

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — to go on
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. last — finally
  5. spring — the season
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — of water
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — of a king
  17. last — final
  18. arm — part of the body

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