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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. swing — in golf
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. swing — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mate — to breed
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. swing — to play on
  14. craft — boats
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mate — a partner
  22. craft — a skill
  23. march — music
  24. rush — to hurry

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