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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kick — in football
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. field — a subject
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. key — in music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. key — the most important part
  24. arm — a part of something

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