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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pop — soda
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. board — a committee
  12. key — for a lock
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. key — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — a box
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. board — to get on
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — of your body

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