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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. root — of a plant
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. content — the amount
  7. root — of a word
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — happy
  19. root — the cause
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lie — to recline

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