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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spell — a short time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. squash — to crush
  10. spell — letters
  11. pit — in a race
  12. court — of law
  13. pit — a hole
  14. court — of a king
  15. shower — rain
  16. mug — a face
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — for sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mate — a friend

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