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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — wild animals
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bark — to shout
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — to drill
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. game — a match
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. foot — a measure
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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