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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. drill — a practice
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. drill — the tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lean — thin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. squash — to crush
  21. row — a line
  22. face — to confront
  23. drill — army training
  24. row — to paddle

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