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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. court — for sport
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ground — a position
  9. deal — to handle
  10. court — of law
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mark — a grade
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ground — the earth
  24. arm — a part of something

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