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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a partner
  10. squash — to crush
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rest — a break
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mate — a friend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chair — a leader

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