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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. court — for sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. court — of law
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cell — in biology
  12. charge — in control
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. charge — electricity
  15. staff — employees
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cell — a phone
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. cell — in a prison

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