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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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. present — the time now
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. court — of law
  7. present — there
  8. charge — electricity
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — in control
  13. cell — a phone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. court — of a king
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. court — for sport
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — letters
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cell — in biology
  22. charge — a price
  23. present — a gift
  24. root — the cause

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