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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. march — the month
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kick — in football
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. march — music

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