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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bass — low music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — the fish
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rest — a break
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rush — hurry

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