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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — of law
  3. net — for catching
  4. cell — a phone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mate — a partner
  8. court — of a king
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. drill — a practice
  14. object — to protest
  15. mate — to breed
  16. object — an aim
  17. mate — a friend
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. court — for sport
  21. cell — in biology
  22. net — in sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. chair — a professorship

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