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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. cell — a phone
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. tear — from crying
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — to rip
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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