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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. last — final

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