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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kid — to tease
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. swing — in golf
  11. staff — a stick
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — child
  14. roll — a cake
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. swing — music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. roll — a list
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — for dogs

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