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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — a friend
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wind — moving air
  21. toast — bread
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. stem — to come from

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