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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — farmland
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. court — of law
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — for digging
  10. key — the most important part
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. key — in music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — for a lock

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