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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. scale — in music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. scale — size or range
  24. row — to paddle

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