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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. firm — steady
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. row — to paddle
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — a division
  17. firm — decided
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. firm — a company
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. row — a line
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chest — a box

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