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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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 — a part of something
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. present — there
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rush — hurry
  15. present — the time now
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — ground
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bear — the animal

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