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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bank — for money
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. swing — music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — to play on
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — to paddle
  23. last — final
  24. bank — for money

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