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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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. nail — on a finger
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — rain
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. field — for sport
  20. kick — in football
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — a subject
  23. shower — to wash
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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