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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rule — government
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. club — a group
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — a series
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. content — the amount
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rash — hasty
  21. club — for dancing
  22. content — happy
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — to breed

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