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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rash — a series
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — letters
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — magic

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