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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rest — a break
  11. chest — a box
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. content — happy
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. content — the amount
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ground — a position

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