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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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 — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. present — there
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — of a king
  10. present — a gift
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — obliged
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — the time now
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — a series
  20. court — for sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rash — hasty

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