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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fall — the season
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. court — of law
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. craft — boats
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. court — of a king
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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