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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. hand — in cards
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — happening now
  8. hand — help
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. current — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. dip — to sink
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. current — electric
  24. nail — for a hammer

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