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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mark — a grade
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — help
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — in music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kick — in football

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