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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: snap · last · fine · ground · scale · wind · arm · temple

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fine — high quality
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. scale — size or range
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. last — final
  17. scale — in music
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. last — to go on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — finally
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — crushed

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