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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. toast — bread
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — low music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. club — for golf
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — a group
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. kick — in football
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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