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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. court — for sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. court — of law
  6. chest — a box
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — to sink
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — of a king
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. roll — a list
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bound — tied together
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pop — music
  23. roll — on a roll
  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