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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. object — a thing
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — final
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. perch — the fish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — child
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — to tease
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. foot — a measure
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a car

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