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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. last — finally
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. pit — in a race
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. branch — a division
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pit — a hole
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. last — final
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rash — on the skin

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