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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rock — a stone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cue — a signal
  9. content — the amount
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cue — for pool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mine — for digging

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