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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — for sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. foot — a measure
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — in football
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. tube — a container
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bark — of a tree

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