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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — a group
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for golf
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lean — to bend
  18. snap — to click
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — a measure
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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