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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — farmland
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. field — a subject
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — for sport
  11. firm — steady
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mark — a grade
  15. hand — help
  16. firm — a company
  17. rock — music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ball — a round shape

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