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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. last — to go on
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — finally
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — a measure
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. last — final
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — size or range

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