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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. swing — in golf
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. charge — electricity
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spell — magic
  10. charge — a price
  11. cold — an illness
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. charge — in control
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. swing — music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spell — a short time

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