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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. field — for sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. swing — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — a measure
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rest — a break
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. field — a subject
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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