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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — of a word
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pit — in a race
  11. track — a song
  12. root — of a plant
  13. last — to go on
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — a path
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — the cause
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bound — obliged
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. last — finally

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