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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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468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stand — to bear
  4. charge — a price
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — a hint
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. charge — in control
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cue — for pool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wind — moving air

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