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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ground — the earth
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ground — a position
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bound — obliged
  13. deal — to handle
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — a line
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — certain
  24. staff — employees

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