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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lean — thin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. root — of a word
  6. rest — a break
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — child
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. root — of a plant
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pop — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. root — the cause
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. arm — part of the body
  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