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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fine — high quality
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fine — all right
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — videos and posts

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