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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — a song
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. toast — bread

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