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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.

Make a worksheet

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: arm · content · kick · rush · leaves · rock · last · jam

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rock — a stone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. last — to go on
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kick — in football
  20. content — the amount
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. last — final
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. kick — 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