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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mate — a partner
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — help
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — to rip
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. deal — to handle

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