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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a line
  9. rest — what's left
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fine — all right
  13. pop — soda
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rest — a break
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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