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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — an illness
  4. scale — in music
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wake — a trail
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cold — not warm
  24. jam — in traffic

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