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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. court — for sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of law
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — a measure
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. court — of a king
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hand — help
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. plane — a tool

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