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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — a position
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — crushed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

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