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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wax — to grow
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — to sink
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. last — finally
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. dip — to dunk

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