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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. swing — music
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — crushed
  10. plane — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. swing — in golf
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ground — the earth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ground — a position
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. swing — to play on
  22. last — final
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. jam — a tight spot

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