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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — after costs
  9. pop — soda
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. net — in sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kick — in football
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — steady
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. firm — a company
  24. spell — magic

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