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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rest — what's left
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cell — in biology
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — for digging
  24. foot — the bottom

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