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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — a list
  8. scale — size or range
  9. roll — a cake
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kick — in football
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fine — all right

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