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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — in music
  6. fall — the season
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. kid — child
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. foot — a measure
  24. kid — to tease

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