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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. drill — a practice
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. firm — a company
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. track — a path
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. track — to keep track
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. firm — decided
  19. drill — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — army training
  23. firm — steady
  24. temple — side of the head

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