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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. march — the month
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a match
  9. march — music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cell — a phone
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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