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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — a face
  6. bank — for money
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mug — a cup
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. squash — to crush

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