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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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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: calf · chair · rush · row · bowl · arm · mark · wind

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mark — a grade
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — a line
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. row — to paddle
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rush — hurry

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