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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cell — in biology
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — of a plant
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — the fish
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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