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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — the season
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. foot — a measure
  24. swing — music

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