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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pound — a weight
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — government
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rule — a law
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pound — for dogs

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