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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tear — to rip
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. rash — a series
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. swing — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — hasty
  24. tear — from crying

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