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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — a break
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mug — a face
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — to rob
  11. content — happy
  12. can — a tin
  13. scale — in music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mug — a cup
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — a series

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