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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. object — to protest
  7. firm — steady
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. object — a thing
  13. chest — a box
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — of law
  18. object — an aim
  19. firm — a company
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. firm — decided
  24. scale — for weighing

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