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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spell — magic
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — letters
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — a measure
  24. leaves — of a tree

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