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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — final
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — finally
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. staff — employees
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — a break
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — all right

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