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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — a weight
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — a stem cell

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