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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — to go on
  4. current — electric
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pitch — completely
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. last — final
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — happening now
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. tear — from crying
  23. current — of water
  24. tear — from crying

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