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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. charge — a price
  6. hand — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — to fit
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. charge — electricity
  13. shower — rain
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. suit — in cards
  23. charge — in control
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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