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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. craft — boats
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — hurry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ball — a dance

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