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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. club — for golf
  8. scale — in music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — size or range
  19. club — a group
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. club — for dancing
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. arm — a part of something

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