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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. drill — army training
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. perch — the fish
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. drill — a practice
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rock — a stone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — to sink
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. perch — for a bird

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