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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. drill — army training
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bank — of a river
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cell — in biology

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