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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. row — to paddle
  4. spell — a short time
  5. scale — in music
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — size or range
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spell — magic
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. row — a line
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. game — a match

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