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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — ground
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — to come down
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. foot — a measure
  19. land — a country
  20. wound — an injury
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wound — an injury

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