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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a document
  5. vault — a safe
  6. toast — bread
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. file — a tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pound — a weight
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — in football
  22. track — a song
  23. rash — a series
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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