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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — to breed
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spring — the season
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a friend
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spring — a coil
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. trunk — of a car

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