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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mug — a face
  7. chair — a leader
  8. content — happy
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. content — the amount
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kid — child
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kid — to tease
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pass — to spend time

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