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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rest — a break
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — a box
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. dip — to dunk

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