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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rest — a break
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. band — a ring
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of a king
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. court — of law
  17. mate — a friend
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — a gift
  22. kick — in football
  23. present — there
  24. band — a music group

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