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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fine — all right
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. current — of water
  5. pit — a hole
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — electric
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. row — a line
  18. current — happening now
  19. mark — a trace
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fine — high quality

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