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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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. roll — on a roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — a box
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. saw — the tool
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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