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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — bread
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — not warm
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. saw — the tool

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