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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rash — a series
  6. rest — a break
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. root — the cause
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — wild animals
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. root — of a word
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. root — of a plant
  23. game — a match
  24. arm — part of the body

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