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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — letters
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — a short time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — thin
  20. ground — the earth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spell — magic

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