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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — a series
  3. chest — of your body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — the most important part
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — a position
  9. rash — hasty
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ground — the earth
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chest — a box
  22. key — for a lock
  23. staff — a stick
  24. nail — for a hammer

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