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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of a king
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. firm — decided
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — of law
  15. pop — soda
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. court — for sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — a box

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