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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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