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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. last — final
  17. rash — hasty
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. last — finally
  21. game — a match
  22. last — to go on
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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