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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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 — wild animals
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. scale — size or range
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. roll — a cake
  12. scale — in music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. roll — a list
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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