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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — all right
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. rest — what's left
  7. row — a line
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — the fish
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fine — high quality
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — a break

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