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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — the fish
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. present — there
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. calf — a young animal

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