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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into 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. arm — a part of something
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — letters
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — magic
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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