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

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — a series
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bank — for money
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bank — of a river
  16. swing — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rash — hasty

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