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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · foot · arm · net · rush · ground · deal · cell

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. foot — a measure
  5. net — for catching
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — hurry
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ground — a position
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — after costs
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. net — in sport
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ground — crushed
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rush — a thrill

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