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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — final
  8. rest — a break
  9. foot — a measure
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stock — shares
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bore — to drill
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stock — goods

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