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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. root — the cause
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — a gift
  6. club — a group
  7. present — there
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. present — the time now
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. club — for golf
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. club — for dancing
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. foot — 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