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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. last — to go on
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. firm — a company
  6. last — finally
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — final
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. chest — a box
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. firm — decided
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. firm — steady
  24. fork — in a road

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