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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — magic
  6. perch — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spell — letters
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wound — an injury
  20. drill — army training
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ball — a great 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