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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bat — the animal
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — government
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mine — for digging

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