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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chest — a box
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. field — farmland
  10. march — music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. game — a match
  14. bank — for money
  15. march — the month
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — a subject
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. temple — a place of worship

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