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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — a path
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. swing — music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. track — to keep track

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