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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fine — all right
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cell — in biology
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — a path
  9. field — a subject
  10. craft — boats
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — a phone
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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