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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hand — help
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rock — to move gently

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