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

Word bank: pound · wind · jam · rest · bowl · kid · arm · fine

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — child
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — all right

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