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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — finally
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rest — a break
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. net — in sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — final
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — for catching
  22. bear — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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