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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rock — a stone
  6. field — a subject
  7. rock — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. charge — in control
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. charge — a price
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. field — farmland
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. bank — of a river
  21. charge — electricity
  22. last — final
  23. bank — for money
  24. field — for sport

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