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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cue — a hint
  8. firm — decided
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. last — finally
  12. present — there
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. rash — a series
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. firm — a company
  19. last — to go on
  20. firm — steady
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. cue — for pool

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